Mapleton Middle School storm-damaged gym roof to be replaced this summer

Linda Hall
·2 min read
The Mapleton Local school board on Friday agreed to replace the Middle School gym roof, which was damaged in a severe storm last June. The work will cost roughly $800,000, with the district paying up to $125,000 and insurance picking up the rest.
The Mapleton Local school board on Friday agreed to replace the Middle School gym roof, which was damaged in a severe storm last June. The work will cost roughly $800,000, with the district paying up to $125,000 and insurance picking up the rest.

ORANGE TWP. − The Mapleton Middle School gymnasium roof, damaged in a storm last June, will be replaced this summer.

At a special meeting Friday, the Mapleton Local Schools Board of Education approved the emergency roof replacement, which will cost just under $800,000.

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Heavy damage occurred on the flat section above the gym, said Treasurer Kathleen Wiley in an email.

The roof over the Mapleton Middle School gym was damaged by a June storm last year. The entire roof will be replaced this summer after action taken by the school board at a special meeting on Jan. 27.
The roof over the Mapleton Middle School gym was damaged by a June storm last year. The entire roof will be replaced this summer after action taken by the school board at a special meeting on Jan. 27.

Wind and water damaged about 50% of the roof, Superintendent Scott Smith said in an email, but the entire roof will need to be replaced.

The Ashland County district had changed out the rubber membrane roof system during a renovation in the early 2000s, however, the roof decking and some of the insulation are original from the 1960s, Smith said.

Obsolete 1960s codes and materials necessitate replacing the entire gym roof.

"The wind and water damage penetrated the entire roofing system, and we had water on our gym floor," Smith said.

Temporary repairs were made after the storm.

The Mapleton Local school board held a special meeting Friday morning and agreed to replace the roof over the Middle School gym, which was damaged in a severe storm last June.
The Mapleton Local school board held a special meeting Friday morning and agreed to replace the roof over the Middle School gym, which was damaged in a severe storm last June.

Bulk of replacement cost covered by insurance

"The entire project with demolition and new installation is $797,775," Smith said, noting the the district will pay up to $125,000 with permanent improvement funds.

The remaining cost is covered by insurance.

Wiley said she doesn't yet know whether the district's insurance rate will be impacted.

The Mapleton Middle School gym roof will be replaced this summer at a cost of just under $800,000, most of which will be covered by insurance. The roof was damaged in a severe storm last June.
The Mapleton Middle School gym roof will be replaced this summer at a cost of just under $800,000, most of which will be covered by insurance. The roof was damaged in a severe storm last June.

Hired for the construction are M. Smith Roofing in Shelby and Simonson Construction in Ashland.

The roof replacement must be done when students and staff are out of the building, therefore work is scheduled to begin June 1, with completion estimated for Aug. 1.

A temporary covering has allowed classes and athletic activities to continue safely, Wiley said.

The damage happened when a line of thunderstorms, classified as a derecho, according to the National Weather Service, moved out of Michigan and Indiana into Ohio between the evening of June 13 and the morning of June 14.

The Mapleton Middle School gym roof, which was damaged last June during a severe storm causing water to leak on the gym floor, will be replaced this summer.
The Mapleton Middle School gym roof, which was damaged last June during a severe storm causing water to leak on the gym floor, will be replaced this summer.

Among the hardest hit counties from winds estimated at about 80 to 90 miles per hour were Ashland, Wayne, and Holmes.

Along with the hit taken by the middle school was "minimal damage to a couple of outbuildings and trees," Wiley said.

No other construction projects in the district are scheduled at this time, she said.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Mapleton to replace storm-damaged gym roof at middle school